Paul Perez Signs Production Deal with Warner Bros.

Posted on June 14, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Paul Perez has landed a new production deal…

The Cuban American film producer and former Warner Bros. development executive has agreed to a production deal at the Burbank, CA lot.

The announcement comes as the Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan romantic comedy, Father of the Bride, a project Perez spearheaded and produced at the studio, hits HBO Max on Thursday, June 16.

During his time at Warner Bros, Perez was involved with the development of Ready Player One, Dune and Doctor Sleep.

He came to Warner Bros. after a development executive stint at Lionsgate’s Pantelion where he worked on the Eugenio Derbez hit movie, Instructions Not Included, which wound up being Mexico’s highest grossing export of all-time with $100.5M WW, as well as Spare Parts and No Manches Frida.

Perez initially cut his teeth in the industry reading scripts for producer Ben Odell (now Derbez’s production partner at 3Pas Studios) and working in the Miami William Morris offices.

Father of the Bride is a project close to Perez’s heart given his Cuban American Miami heritage. He came to the property while combing through the Warner library in a quest to develop revamped IP. The project’s momentum swelled after Perez discussed it at a Warner Bros. development exec retreat, with the studio’s President of Production Courtenay Valenti ultimately taking to Matt Lopez’s screenplay.

The fresh angle in this Latino take of Father of the Bride: the bride’s parents played by Garcia and Estefan are on the verge of a divorce. Perez married the package with burgeoning Mexican filmmaker Gary Alazraki.

While recent audiences are familiar with the Steve Martin–Diane Keaton–Martin Short 1991 Touchstone remake (a hit back then grossing over $89M and spawning a 1995 sequel), the film was originally an MGM title released in 1950, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Spencer Tracy, Joan Bennett and Elizabeth Taylor.

Warners had inherited the title in their acquisition of the pre-May 1986 MGM library via their absorption of Turner Films in 1995. Disney had licensed the title during the ’90s and in recent years Father of the Bride’s underlying rights reverted back to Warners.

Perez under his new deal is also shepherding the new Training Day prequel at the studio. That film is set around the time of the L.A. Riots that followed after the infamous Rodney King verdict.

“Warner Bros. is thrilled that Paul Perez will have a first look producing deal with the studio,” says Valenti. “Paul is a valued colleague who spent several years in development and production at WB. During that time he showed extraordinary creativity and strategic thinking looking to reinvent several classic library titles. One of those titles is Father of the Bride. We love Gaz Alazraki’s film of Father of the Bride and are very grateful to Paul for beginning the film process with his idea for how to reimagine this wonderful world.”

Eugenio Derbez & His 3Pas Studios Sign with Creative Artists Agency (CAA)

Posted on April 7, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is getting creative…

The 60-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker and his production company 3Pas Studios have signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) in all areas.

Derbez has been on a hot streak following the announcement of multiple deals: a first-look deal with TelevisaUnivision’s streamer Vix, a development deal with Encantos for kids content, and a renewal of a first-look film deal at Lionsgate, to name a few.

The 3Pas Studios-produced bilingual series Acapulco for Apple TV+ was recently renewed for a second season.

Derbez is an award-winning actor, writer, director, producer, and philanthropist, who, along with former Pantelion Films executive and producer Ben Odell, built 3Pas Studios, a bilingual production company producing English and Spanish language content for global audiences.

3Pas has offices in Los Angeles, Miami, and Mexico City, where they also have its production services arm, Visceral. Composed of 22 employees, the studio services development and production across English and Spanish language movies, scripted and unscripted content, as well as entertainment for kids and families.

Next, 3Pas will move into podcasting, as well as new, non-media-related businesses.

In 2013, Derbez wrote, produced, starred in, and directed Instructions Not Included, which became the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever, grossing more than $100 million on a $5 million budget.

Most recently, he starred in the Oscar-winning film Coda, which won Best Picture at the 94th Academy Awards, in addition to Best Ensemble award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and three British Academy Film Awards, including Best Screenplay.

In addition to starring in and producing his own comedy shows throughout the past 25 years, Derbez has also starred in the 3Pas Studios’ hit movies How To Be A Latin Lover and Overboard as well as Miracles From Heaven, and Dora And The Lost City of Gold.

Up next, he will appear in The Valet, which 3Pas Studios developed and produced along with Lionsgate to premiere via Hulu on May 20th.

3Pas Studios’ other recent projects include Amazon’s De Viaje Con Los Derbez, and the Spanish-language version of LOL: Last One Laughing.

Eugenio Derbez’s 3Pas Studios Renews First-Look Deal with Lionsgate

Posted on February 9, 2022 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez isn’t leaving the (Lions)gate…

The 60-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker and his producing partner Ben Odell’s 3Pas Studios has renewed its first-look deal with Lionsgate.

The deal continues the longstanding relationship between the companies, which resulted in the breakout box office success of 2018’s Overboard ($91.2 million at the global box office).

The last three Derbez movies — including the blockbuster Instructions Not Included, released by Lionsgate’s Pantelion Films — made more than $250M off a $35M production cost before P&A.

Their latest collaboration is this summer’s Hulu Original The Valet, a remake of the eponymous French film. It stars Derbez, Samara Weaving and Max Greenfield. The studios are currently working together on several upcoming films, including the development project Unsafe House.

“Eugenio and Ben are productive and prolific producers who have delivered a wide range of hits to Lionsgate over the years and we are thrilled to be extending our relationship and excited about the projects we have in development together,” said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president Nathan Kahane. “Our previous collaborations have been tremendously successful, including Overboard, How to Be a Latin Lover, and Instructions Not Included, the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S. We adore their humor and the way they develop stories and believe the best is yet to come.”

“Lionsgate has always understood the power of my core audience since I made Instructions Not Included, and supported me when I wanted to reach audiences around the world and started making movies in English, like Latin Lover and The Valet. Ben and I are grateful to Joe Drake, Nathan Kahane, Erin Westerman, and the whole Lionsgate team for their tremendous freedom and support,” said Derbez.

“As we continue to position 3Pas as the market leader in producing content for one of the fastest-growing audiences in the United States and the world, renewing our deal with Lionsgate helps us to reach the broadest possible audience in a variety of ways,” added Odell.

Eugenio Derbez & His 3Pas Studios Sign First-Look Deal with Univision for Original Spanish Projects

Posted on October 10, 2021 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is excited to bring new Spanish projects to Univision…

The 60-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker and 3Pas Studios, run by Derbez and his producing partner Ben Odell, have inked a first-look deal with Univision to create original scripted and unscripted Spanish-language projects for Univision’s global streaming SVOD content slate set to launch in 2022.

Univision will have the first look at all Spanish-language television and theatrical motion picture projects controlled by 3Pas Studios and Derbez, including movies and series for SVOD or theatrical releases.

The multi-year agreement also includes the curation of the new “Derbez Channel” featuring family and comedy content available via the network’s free AVOD tier, and the release of titles starring Derbez that put him on the map.

A sampling of titles includes Al Derecho y al Derbez, La Familia P. Luche, and the hit film Instructions Not Included.

“I’m really glad to get back to producing in Spanish,” Derbez tells Deadline exclusively. “Although, I am proud to say my projects like [the Apple TV+ series] Acapulco and [the film] Overboard, and How to Be A Latin Lover always included some Spanish. I’m going to still do English projects but I’m very excited to connect again with my Spanish-language fans who have always supported me.”

Derbez teases the 3Pas team is “working on a lot of ideas” that could bring series similar to Acapulco to Univision. Odell shed some insight into what that could look like.

“We know our audience likes to sit with their families and watch content together,” Odell shares. “We teamed up with Univision because we share that sensibility—we want to reach a multigenerational audience. That takes wanting to be in dialogue with that audience—which Univision is—but now we want to make the premium version. What’s our Stranger Things look like?”

Derbez adds, “What Univision is doing with their streaming platform is the future. They’re giving us the freedom and the budget to try new things and take risks to make interesting and different programming. The idea of developing and producing world-class, Spanish-language content across different genres and catering to different age groups for Univision is very exciting.”

AppleTV+ GIves Series Order to Eugenio Derbez-Starrer “Acapulco,” Inspired By His “How to Be A Latin Lover” Film

Posted on December 1, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez has found the Apple(TV) of his eye…

AppleTV+ has given a series order to Acapulco, a Spanish and English-language half-hour comedy executive produced and starring the 59-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker.

The project is inspired by Derbez’s hit 2017 feature comedy How to Be A Latin Lover.

Acapulco hails from Lionsgate Television, studio-based The Tannenbaum Company, as well as Derbez and Benjamin Odell’s 3Pas Studios.

Created by Austin Winsberg, Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman, Acapulcocenters on a young Mexican man, who’s dream comes true when he gets the job of a lifetime at the hottest resort in Acapulco. But he soon realizes the job is far more complicated than he ever imagined as all of his beliefs and morals start to be questioned. The show takes place in 1984 with Derbez narrating and playing the present-day version of the main character.

InHow to Be a Latin Lover,produced by 3Pas Studios and distributed by Pantelion Films, Lionsgate’s venture with Televisa, an out-of-shape former gigolo (Derbez) is left to fend for himself after the rich older woman he’d married 25 years ago dumps him for a younger man.

Gaz Alazraki will direct and executive produce the pilot.

Derbez’s feature film Instructions Not Included, which he directed, co-wrote and starred in, became the most successful Spanish language film in the U.S. and worldwide, grossing more than $100 million worldwide. Cisneros served as an associate producer on the movie.

Karla Souza to Star in ABC’s Family Comedy Pilot “Home Economics”

Posted on July 18, 2020 by Tom Castaneda

Karla Souza is cooking things up…

The 34-year-old Mexican actress will star in ABC’s family comedy pilot Home Economics.

Starring Caitlin McGee and Topher Grace, the series is described as ‘similar to Modern Family’ and revolves around three adult siblings: one in the 1 percent, one in the middle class, and one barely holding on.

The project hails from writers Michael Colton and John Aboud, the Tannenbaum Co., Lionsgate Television and ABC Studios. It was written by

Colton and Aboud and inspired by Colton’s family.

McGee plays the oldest sibling, Sarah, a therapist for at-risk kids, married to a teacher, and they’re often scraping to make ends meet. Of her siblings, she earns the least money, but she does the most socially important work (as she frequently reminds them). She’s a doting mom to her two kids and tries to be a guru to her two brothers, who obviously would be lost without her wisdom.

Grace plays Tom, the middle sibling and middle-class.

Souza will play Marina. A proud first-generation New Yorker whose parents came from Latin America, Marina is a former lawyer married to struggling novelist Tom (Grace). She’s constantly exhausted by caring for her seven-year-old daughter and toddler twin boys. Marina would like to go back to work one day, if only to escape her children. A rule-follower, Marina is often in conflict with her brother-in-law Connor, who never met a corner he didn’t try to cut. She’s pushed to the max and ready to call everyone out on how much easier they have it.

Souza is returning to ABC after starring in How To Get Away With Murder for the first five seasons. She recurred on the sixth and final season while shooting Pablo Larrain’s upcoming limited series El Presidente for Amazon.

After starring in three of the highest grossing films in Mexico (Que Culpa Tiene El Nino, Nosotros Los Nobles and Instructions Not Included), Souza was last seen on the big screen starring in Everybody Loves Somebody for writer/director Catalina Aguilar Mastretta.

Eugenio Derbez & His Clan to Star in the Reality TV Series “De Viaje Con Los Derbez”

Posted on September 18, 2019 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is taking the familia on vacation…

The 58-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmakerand his thespian family are the subjects of the under-the-radar reality television series De Viaje Con Los Derbez.

The unscripted docu-comedy series, about a Derbez family vacation to Morocco, will launch in the U.S. and Puerto Rico on October 18 via Pantaya, Lionsgate and Hemisphere Media Group’s Spanish-language SVOD service, and will stream internationally on Amazon Prime Video.

The half-hour Spanish-language episodes will see a camera crew follow the Derbez family on the surprise vacation, offering a behind-the-scenes look at their adventures and escapades.

It will mark the first time the entire family of performers, who reach nearly 70M followers on social media, will be seen together on television.

The star-studded family consists of Derbez’s wife/actress Alessandra Rosaldo, their daughter Aitana, Derbez’s older actor sons Vadhir and José Eduardo and actress daughter Aislinn Derbez (La Casa de Las Flores) with her husband Mauricio Ochmann (Ya Veremos) and their daughter Kailani.

The series is produced in association withLionsgate by Derbez and Ben Odell’s 3Pas Studios as well as Katy Wallin and Stephanie Bloch Chambers’ Wallin Chambers Entertainment, who both have TV deals with Lionsgate. 3Pas Studios also has a first look deal with Lionsgate’s Pantelion Films.

Derbez, Odell, Wallin and Bloch Chambers will serve as executive producers.

“I’m thrilled to be working with our Lionsgate friends in bringing my reality series to Pantaya and Amazon Prime Video,” said Derbez, who is best known for box office hits Instructions Not Included, How To Be A Latin Lover and the remake of Overboard, as well as a string of popular Spanish-language TV series.

He continued, “When they learned that I was planning to take my entire family on a surprise trip to Morocco, they had the crazy idea of documenting our adventures. We have always tried to keep our personal lives private so we were all really nervous about doing this but I think our audience will love it. They will finally know that we are just as crazy and dysfunctional as any family!”

“Eugenio has delivered a string of box office hits for Pantelion Films, and we couldn’t be more excited to have the creative mastermind behind them helming our first original unscripted television series,” said Pantaya and Pantelion Films CEO Paul Presburger.

“De Viaje Con Los Derbez is the perfect example of the synergies we aim to create across the company and our focus on empowering talent to tell their stories through different mediums,” added Lionsgate SVP and Head of Unscripted Programming Alice Dickens-Koblin.

Eugenio Derbez to Guest Star on Disney’s “Elena of Avalor”

Posted on June 30, 2018 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez is getting animated…

The 56-year-old Mexican actor, comedian and filmmaker has signed on for a guest starring role on the Disney animated series Elena of Avalor, according to Variety.

The series follows Elena, Disney’s first princess inspired by diverse Latin cultures and folklore. Derbez will voice Guillermo, a restless spirit with a passion for music, in a special Día de los Muertos-themed episode for the series’ third season, which is set to debut next year.

Derbez was most recently seen in the remake of Overboard starring opposite Anna Farris. He’s also set to appear in the live-action Dora the Explorer movie, which is slated for a 2019 debut.

He’s known for his roles in films like Instructions Not Included, which he also directed and co-wrote, and How to Be a Latin Lover.

Derbez and his 3Pas Studios recently signed an overall deal with Lionsgate Television and previously signed a first-look feature-film deal with Lionsgate’s Pantelion Films.

Eugenio Derbez’s “Instructions Not Included” Getting an English Makeover

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

Eugenio Derbez’s biggest U.S. hit is getting a remake…

Lionsgate is planning an English-language remake of the 56-year-old Mexican actor’s Spanish-language hit Instructions Not Included.

In Instructions Not Included, the life of a playboy jazz musician is upended when a former flame leaves their baby girl for him to raise alone. He smuggles himself and the kid across the border to find her in Los Angeles. Ten floors up, he sees the girl wander into a pool and plunges 10 floors to save her. He promptly gets a stuntman job and raises the young girl. Six years later, the birth mother returns and wants to be part of her daughter’s life.

Set to direct is Amanda Lipitz, the Tony-winning producer whose first directing effort, Step, won a prize at the last Sundance Film Festival for Inspirational Filmmaking and sold for $4 million in a bidding battle to Fox Searchlight.

Lipitz is producing with Scott Rudin a narrative version of that film for Searchlight.

The Derbez-directed original was a massive hit in the U.S. Back home in Mexico, it was 2013’s highest-grossing film after Despicable Me 2 and Iron Man 3.

John Sacchi is producing the remake. Script is by Rob Lieber.

The film has been remade in France and Turkey.

Eugenio Derbez Renews First-Look Deal with Pantelion Films

Posted on May 3, 2017 by Tom Castaneda

It’s a special re-up for Eugenio Derbez…

Following the impressive U.S. box office returns of the 54-year-old Mexican comedian’s English-language debut How to be a Latin Lover, Lionsgate-Televisa joint venture Pantelion Films has renewed its first-look deal with Derbez and producing partner Benjamin Odell’s production company, 3Pas Studios. The companies originally inked a first-look pact in August 2014.

The comedy about a gold-digging Lothario getting his comeuppance stars Derbez, Salma Hayek and a clutch of American actors led by Raquel Welch, Rob Lowe, Rob Corddry, Kristen Bell and Rob Riggle.

Ken Marino’s directorial feature debut grabbed the number two slot at the box office the weekend of April 28, grossing $12 million on just 1,118 screens. Its opening weekend audience was 89% Hispanic.

“It has always been our goal to reach deep into the acculturated Hispanic market,” said Pantelion CEO, Paul Presburger, adding: “I think we also accomplished what we have always wanted to do, which is to start bridging across acculturated Latinos to the general market.”

The deal renewal reflects Lionsgate’s commitment to underserved Hispanic audiences in the U.S. Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer has long been a strong advocate for Pantelion and its initiatives.

“We are really happy to continue our relationship with Pantelion, Lionsgate and Televisa,” said Odell, adding: “They provide us very strong support but allow us a lot of creative freedom as we continue to strengthen the 3pas Brand and expand both into the mainstream and internationally. We couldn’t think of better partners.”

How to be a Latin Lover is Pantelion’s second breakout hit with Derbez after his directorial debut Instructions Not Included, which became the highest-grossing Spanish-language film ever released in the U.S. ($44 million) and the highest-grossing Mexican film in Mexico ($48 million). Televisa’s distribution arm Videocine releases the comedy in Mexico May 5 on more than 3,000 screens. Hayek will be at the premiere Wednesday in Mexico City.

Founded some two years ago by Derbez and former Pantelion executive Ben Odell, 3Pas Studios has a packed slate of comedies in development.

Next out of the gate is Overboard, a remake of Garry Marshall’s ‘80s comedy starring Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell. Comedy is slated to start principal photography May 23 in Vancouver with Anna Faris starring opposite Derbez.

Aside from remakes of French comedy The Valet and Korean comedy Miss Granny and live action comedy Ponce, 3Pas is also producing animated feature La Familia Peluche, based on Derbez’s popular live action TV show that aired on Univision and Televisa.

Pantelion is also collaborating with Televisa and Starz on the series Teresa, based on the popular telenovela, and gearing up for the July launch of the still-unnamed streaming movie service with partners Univision and Hemisphere Media.

Hispanically Yours

Celebrating the Latino Influence

Tag Archives: Instructions Not Included